Yeah.. I used Vise grips to pull out some bars.. I gouged the bars pretty good and wondered if I could possibly get away with filing the marks. Is this going to cause a possible failure?
Gouges /scratches on torsion bars.. are they useable?
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I would not trust it, they are pretty sensitive and might crack
Damn... was hoping that isn't the case. Got nice firm feel bars in a parts car..
Treblig
Well-Known Member
If you file them smooth then sand smoother they should be OK as long as the gouges aren't too, too deep to begin with.
PIC??
PIC??
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The fear is that these scratches cause stress risers in the metal where they will be prone to break. I have never seen one break.
pishta
I know I'm right....
FSM says "dress any scratches/gouges with a stone and repaint" you just want to get rid of the stress riser, like drilling a crack at the end. If your scared to run them , let me know...
Treblig
Well-Known Member
You are correct that's why I said to file the scratches down until they are gone then sand smooth. If you completely remove the gouge/scratch you eliminate the possibility of a stress riser. Simple mechanics, if you can't remove all signs of the gouge then yes, you could get a stress riser. Even if you have to use a 1/2 round file and leave a slight depression, as long as it has smooth transitions it should be OK.
Remember, they are over-engineered!!
Treblig
rustycowll69
Well-Known Member
I had a 383 a-body bar break in my 64 dart. It had a worn "notch" about 0.030" deep, from a collector flange. It was a smooth "notch", not a sharp gouge. My friend was trailering it to a race in Spokane for me. He chain-bindered it down, and then added air to the tires. I think he overloaded the bars. He hit a bad pothole at the strip entrance and the bar just broke. I think it was a pretty unique situation, so I don't think it is all that likely to happen. That said, I'm glad it failed on a trailer, and not in the traps.
I don't see why anyone should resort to vise-grips to remove a bar. All you ever have to do is back down the adjuster, remove rear retaining wire-clip, remove LCA pivot nut, and pry between front of LCA and rear of crossmember, with a crowbar or even a oem lug wrench.
I used a vice grips with some copper sheet metal I had for backing up welds. Just like a soft jaw for a vise. I wouldn't be afraid to dress them up a little, just don't want to go too deep as it is taking away from the bar. Mine actually came with a broken bar and a junkyard replacement. What is the intended use? Mine is a slant six grocery getter. If you are building a big block wheel stander...I'd reconsider.
roccodart440
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I ran mine like that forever. Never had an issue.
Mine is a 440 street car
roccodart440
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mine too
WayneShelton
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LOL POT HOLES and Spokane go in common LO. What part of Spokane are you from.. Im over on the northwest side of town..
Got nice Firm Feel bars and took them out with vice grips. Good grief. Vice grips have no place in torsion bar removal. It's not even easier to take them out that way, it's just lazy.
The stress riser isn't gone as soon as the gouge is flush. The metal underneath the gouge is hardened from the compression. You have to dress it down further than just the surface damage if you want to eliminate the possibility of a stress riser. Of course, you can't actually see how deep the damage goes into the bar, so, you're just guessing.
A torsion bar carries like 90% of the load on the surface. Same as a sway bar, which is why you can get away with hollow bars. Damage the surface, well, you changed how it carries load. People have done it, but plenty of people have had torsion bars break too. Which one you'll end up being depends on how bad the damage is. Would have been a lot easier to remove the bars the correct way.
The stress riser isn't gone as soon as the gouge is flush. The metal underneath the gouge is hardened from the compression. You have to dress it down further than just the surface damage if you want to eliminate the possibility of a stress riser. Of course, you can't actually see how deep the damage goes into the bar, so, you're just guessing.
A torsion bar carries like 90% of the load on the surface. Same as a sway bar, which is why you can get away with hollow bars. Damage the surface, well, you changed how it carries load. People have done it, but plenty of people have had torsion bars break too. Which one you'll end up being depends on how bad the damage is. Would have been a lot easier to remove the bars the correct way.
rustycowll69
Well-Known Member
from Seattle. I used to come over to Spokane to race once a year, and hit the Mopars Unlimited car show. I like the track there. Beats the heck out of SIR/PIR rathole here in Kent.
WayneShelton
Well-Known Member
I see.. I get over that side of the state every now and then to do a little scuba diving around Edmonds.. nothing like diving in the saltwater versus freshwater.
Agreed but... there was an issue with time constraints and someone previously distorting the torsion bar mount end where the bar comes out... long story... never damaged one til now...
It is what it is, right?
How lucky do you feel ? How much does a good bar cost ? How much does a broken bar cost ? (accident, vehicle damage, possible injuries to you and others etc...) Just hope that a lot of people read this thread and don't do the same mistake.
torsion bar removal tools mopar - Google Search
torsion bar removal tools mopar - Google Search
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